Cynthia Erivo
| birth_date = | birth_place = Stockwell, London, England, United Kingdom |alma_mater = Royal Academy of Dramatic Art | occupation = Actress, singer, songwriter | years_active = 2011–present | module = }} }} Cynthia Chinasaokwu O. Erivo ( ; born 8 January 1987) is a British actress, singer, and songwriter. She is known for her performance as Celie in the 2015 Broadway revival of The Color Purple, for which she won the 2016 Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical as well as the 2017 Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album. She reprised the role of Celie on Broadway after first performing it in the 2013 Menier Chocolate Factory production in London. Erivo is also known for her performance as Deloris Van Cartier/Sister Mary Clarence in the UK tour of Sister Act. In 2018, she made the transition into film, starring in the dramas Widows and Bad Times at the El Royale. Early life and education Erivo was born to Nigerian parents in Stockwell, South London. She attended La Retraite Roman Catholic Girls' School. Erivo began a music psychology degree at the University of East London, however a year into her degree, she applied to, and subsequently trained at, the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. Career Stage acting Erivo first appeared in roles on British television programmes such as Chewing Gum and The Tunnel. Her first stage role was in Marine Parade by Simon Stephens at the Brighton Festival. Her first musical role was in John Adams' and June Jordan's I Was Looking at the Ceiling and Then I Saw the Sky at Theatre Royal Stratford East. In 2013, Erivo played the role of Celie Harris in the Menier Chocolate Factory production of The Color Purple, a role which Whoopi Goldberg had originated onscreen. Erivo had previously portrayed Sister Mary Clarence/Deloris Van Cartier in the UK tour of the musical stage version of Sister Act, which Goldberg has also originated in its film adaptation. Erivo originated the role of Chenice in the West End musical I Can't Sing! The X Factor Musical, which opened on 26 March 2014, at the London Palladium. The production closed on 10 May, just six weeks and three days since its official opening night. She is also featured as a recording artist, co-writing and performing "Fly Before You Fall" on the soundtrack to the American musical drama Beyond the Lights. She made her Broadway debut in the 2015 Broadway revival transfer of the Menier Chocolate Factory production of ''The Color Purple'', reprising her role as Celie Harris alongside American actresses Jennifer Hudson as Shug Avery and Danielle Brooks as Sofia. The production began performances at Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre, from 10 December 2015. Among other awards for her performance, Erivo won the 2016 Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical. Erivo starred as Cathy alongside Joshua Henry in a one-night benefit concert performance of Jason Robert Brown's The Last Five Years on September 12, 2016. Proceeds from the performance went to the Brady Center, a national gun violence organization. In February 2017, Erivo performed "God Only Knows" as a tribute to musicians who had died over the past year alongside John Legend at the 59th Annual Grammy Awards. In March 2017, Erivo and the cast of ''The Color Purple'' were nominated for a Daytime Emmy Award for their performance on NBC's The Today Show in May 2016. In April 2017, it was announced that Erivo and the cast of The Color Purple alongside The Today Show won the Daytime Creative Arts Emmy Award in the Outstanding Musical Performance in a Daytime Program category. In November 2017 she appeared on the charity benefit "Night of too Many Stars" hosted by Jon Stewart, where she performed a duet with frequent contributor Jodi DiPiazza of the Aundra Day hit "Rise Up" they were accompanied by Questlove and The Roots. Film industry breakthrough In 2018, Erivo starred as part of the seven-actor ensemble of Drew Goddard's Bad Times at the El Royale, as a "down-on-her-luck singer". Filming commenced in January 2018, with an October release, making the film her first to reach theatres. Also that year, she starred in Steve McQueen's Widows, alongside Viola Davis, in the first cinema role she had filmed during the summer of 2017, for release on November 16. Erivo has been cast in Chaos Walking, based on Patrick Ness' trilogy novels, with release expected in 2020. In February 2017, it was reported that Erivo was attached to portray the title role in Harriet, a biographical film about American abolitionist Harriet Tubman."Cynthia Erivo Will Play Harriet Tubman in New Film Harriet" by Andrew Gans, Playbill, February 8, 2017 The film began production in October 2018 , completed filming in January 2019, and is set for release on November 1, 2019. In January 2019, Erivo was cast in the HBO's series adaptation of Stephen King's novel ''The Outsider''. She is set to play the character of investigator Holly Gibney. Podcasts Erivo co-produced and was cast as the lead voice actor in the scripted thriller podcast Carrier from the audio firm Qcode Media . She played the series lead role of Raylene 'Ray' Watts, a long-haul truck driver transporting a trailer with "disturbing, mysterious contents" . Filmography Film Television Theatre credits Discography Studio albums Featured singles Other appearances Awards and nominations References External links * Internet Broadway Database listing * }} Category:1987 births Category:Living people Category:Black British actresses Category:Black British singers Category:Actresses from London Category:Grammy Award winners Category:Tony Award winners Category:Daytime Emmy Award winners Category:Alumni of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art Category:English people of Nigerian descent Category:21st-century British singers Category:21st-century women singers Category:21st-century British actresses